Coincidence?

 I met an Angel.  His name was Randy. 

I decided it was time to get the mildew off the sides of a storage shed at my parents’ property.  The property, however, is located about 300 feet from their house.  Originally this lot was a rental property with a small white farmhouse located there.  The house was probably built in the early 1900’s and sat on the corner of the street and the main thoroughfare. Since purchased in the early 1980’s it had been a great home for renters and family members alike.  Unfortunately, in 2016, the TDOT decided to widen the road beside the property and forced us to relinquish the property, and the house was torn down.  Their road design included a large sewer line going through the remaining property which precluded us from rebuilding.  All that remains is a white 8’ x 10’ white storage building with aluminum siding.  This shed is the subject of my story. 
I am home to bring in the New Year, 2023, in TN visiting my parents who now reside at an assisted living facility.  The white shed at the end of their street is covered in mildew.  I decide to clean it since the weather is mild.  I get a collection of Clorox cleaner, an old string mop and an old sponge mop.  The one thing I am missing is water.  There is no water source at the property.  I spray the siding with Clorox cleaner, and it seems to melt away the mildew.  The mop wipes it off like a champ.  In due time, however, the mop was too soiled, and I switched to the sponge mop.  I could loosen the crude, but really needed to rinse it.  I came to the house and got a bucket of hot water.  This worked well, but in no time the water was black and ineffective for rinsing. 
Hmmm.  I really needed a water source.  That is when I looked across the road at a construction site and saw a tanker truck.  I had my eye on it for quite some time.  Could it be that I could ask the driver to help me?  As I had made up my mind to cross the highway to ask, the tanker backed out and headed toward me.  I waved my hands above my head to get his attention and he saw me!  He turned his right turn into a u-turn and pulled up beside me, rolling down his window.  The driver was a pleasant man about my age with a gray beard.  He had water and agreed to spray down the building for me.  It was a Sunday morning on New Year’s Day!  He was actually working for a portable potty company, and he had been cleaning the one at the job site across the street.  He backed his truck in and uncoiled the hose.  He proceeded to spray away all the green gunk I had loosened up.  I was thinking to myself.  I’m going to pay this man.  I had a $100 bill in my wallet that had been a Christmas gift, but that was all the cash I had on me.  I had already decided to give it to him for his kindness.  He finished and I thanked him and said I’m going to pay you.  He said oh no you’re not.  This was nothing and I won’t take any pay.  I asked him who he worked for and what was his name.  I met an Angel.  His name was Randy.
Beginning the new year with a random act of kindness that I want to pay forward.

Tammy Harvey
01/01/2023

Like a Songbird

 

Songbird

May your words be like a songbird,

Pleasing to the ear,

May your thoughts be like a songbird,

Living without fear,

May your joy be like a songbird,

Abundant and overflowing,

May your spirit be like a songbird,

Free and easy-going,

May your deeds be like a songbird,

Giving hope to all,

May your heart be like a songbird,

Answering your call,

May your strength be like a songbird,

Enduring stormy weather,

May your faith be like a songbird,

Covering you in feathers,

May your song be like a songbird,

Uplifting and inviting,

May your peace be like a songbird,

Calming yet exciting.

Tammy Harvey

1/4/2023

Photographed by Nathaniel Kidd, Fine Art America

The Receipt

 I hope readers don't mind that many of my writing lately has been short stories and not poetry, but I haven't abandoned my poetry, I just have a few stories to tell on occasion.

You Can’t Make This Up

I went shopping in a Ross store at a local shopping center in Apex.  Since it is the holiday season, I wanted to purchase something to go outside my front door to make it more festive.  I settled on a couple of 6 ft garlands.  They were covered in fake snow and lots of colorful plastic ornaments.  Perfect, I thought, for my entrance.  Well, the fake snow was a nightmare.  It stuck to my clothing like glue and made a total mess of the back seat of my car.  I was determined though to try them around the front door.  After hanging them, going up and down the step ladder multiple times, I had fake snow all over the porch and myself!  I knew this had been a bad choice.  I should have learned my lesson from a few years ago when I purchased an indoor tree with fake snow.  Needless to say, it is no longer an indoor tree.  It sits under the porch at my son’s house, serving as an outdoor decoration and still it creates a snowy mess around it.  I decided I would return these garlands.  I began looking for the receipt the next morning.  I looked in my car.  I looked through my purse, repeatedly.  I checked the bag that contained another item purchased at the same time.  I even went through the kitchen garbage can. It had only been one day; how could I have lost it?  I gave up on looking and decided that I probably had dropped it in the parking lot since my hands were so full when I left the store.  After all, I did have the two price tags that were originally on the garlands, so at least I could get store credit.  Again, being covered in fake snow I proceeded to load my messy purchase into the back seat.  I drove over to the same store and parked my car in the parking lot.  Of course, I had no idea where I had parked the previous day.  I usually don’t remember when I come out of a store where my car is parked!  I got the garland out and headed to Ross’ entrance.  As I was crossing the street in front of the store, I saw a receipt on the ground.  I had already forgotten about my theory that I probably had dropped it.  When I reached down to pick up this receipt, it was damp and dirty, but after further inspection, I saw it was my receipt.  (You can’t even make this up.) Are you kidding me?  I thought to myself.  I was still in a state of shock when I walked into the store and approached the return counter.  The lady at the register probably thought I was cuckoo because I had to share with her the story of how I found the receipt.  What are the odds? I said in amazement.  I still can’t believe it.  It was a Christmas miracle of sorts, although the lady told me that the receipt was not really necessary since I had retained the price tags!  Good Grief!

Tammy Harvey

12/10/2022

Psalms 23 Explained

 

PSALMS 23

Recently, I saw an explanation of the 23^rd Psalms, on Instagram posted by lance_wallnau.

The Lord is my Shepherd: THAT’S A RELATIONSHIP!

I shall not want:  THAT’S SUPPLY!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:  THAT’S REST!

He leadeth me beside the still waters:  THAT’S REFRESHMENT!

He restoreth my soul:  THAT’S HEALING!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness:  THAT’S GUIDANCE!

For His name’s sake:  THAT’S PURPOSE!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death: THAT’S TESTING!

I will fear no evil: THAT’S PROTECTION!

For Thou art with me:  THAT’S FAITHFULNESS!

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me:  THAT’S DISCIPLINE!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies:  THAT’S HOPE!

Thou anointest my head with oil:  THAT’S CONSECRATION1!

My cup runneth over:  THAT’S ABUNDANCE!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:  THAT’S BLESSING!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord:  THAT’S SECURITY!

Forever:  THAT’S ETERNITY!

#EverythingYouNeedIsInTheShepherd   

Reposted by Tammy Harvey

1/14/2023

Ted's Poem

For Christmas I received a gift of StoryWorth from Ted and Cassie. This is a series of weekly questions asked of me about my youth, that will be printed into a book at the end of the year. It is like a legacy book to hand down to future generations. One of the first questions I received was "How would you describe your mother?" Ted decided to also answer that question in the form of a poem for me.



How Would You Describe your Mother?

I have been giving it some thought, and I really must say,
The question “how would you describe your mother?’, is difficult in a meaningful way,
What is the best way to describe her? I am up for the task,
A poem, of course, so read it and grasp,
My mom is loving, caring, compassionate and clever,
She is short in stature but not in her giving nature,
She can be stressed and anxious but those come in spells,
She writes wonderful poems from jokes to deep wells,
She was a preschool teacher for over a decade,
Worked at a flower shop and as a mom, hardly paid,
The number three rings loudly in her life,
Three boys each three years apart with not much strife,
We rarely fought and played all the sports ever created,
Mom was there to cheer us on, we were elated,
We pick at her as she ages for comfort she gave-up,
Beware arthritis in her thumbs and knees could easily flare up,
Crafting and gardening are close to her heart,
She would be the first to tell you not to trust a fart,
I believe watching her children and grandchildren grow brings her great pleasure,
A fan of the arts, thrift stores and finding shark tooth treasure,
A true Tennessee girl I would say,
A fan of the Vols, even sporting orange some days,
She gets along with her older sister, but they are very different,
Loves her parents and God: it is magnificent,
Losing her husband (my dad) to brain cancer after 30+ years of marriage
Has been hard,
We have grieved and gotten closer as a family, but the wound has not easily scarred,
My mom is resilient, brave and fun to be around,
She tap dances, spins clay, but cannot juggle like a clown,
She likes getting phone calls from her children like her own mother,
As one of her kids, I always tell her I love her,
People say we look alike, and it always made me shake my head,
But now when I hear it, I hope it is on the inside, the character she threads,
As she turns a page and starts a new chapter,
Her family can smile and continue to fell looked after,
I’m not as talented with words on a page like the great Tammy Harvey,
But hopefully, this gives you a glimpse of how wonder she is, let’s party!

Written by: Theodore Harvey (middle son), December 29, 2022